Genealogy Chat

How can I correct a GRO record from which FreeBMD are working from i.e. a mispelt surname

I don't believe that you can correct it unless it's been mistranscribed from the original. You can however add a postem to it.

You can add a postem giving the correct spelling on FreeBMD

You can't correct a GRO record if that how the spelling was done at the time

For instance my surname is incorrectly spelt on our daughters birth record

Hubby reg her birth but didn't notice my maiden name incorrect spelling

I wasn't able to get to the register office later to do a correction so it was left


I have done a FreeBMD postem for the correct spelling

Albert

I do not believe that you can add a Post'em through GR


So far as I know, it has to be done on the freebmd site, or possibly on findmypast.


freebmd is a free site


www.freebmd.org.uk


scroll down

click on Search, enter details for the entry that you are concerned about



The record will show for example .......................


Births Mar 1900 (>99%)

Smith James Walsall 6b 759 Scan available - click to view


"scan available" is indicated by info

click to view is indicated by spectacles


Check if the spelling of the name on the freebmd entry is the same as the one that you have noticed


To be certain where the error was made click on the spectacles


This takes you to a new page "Entry Information"


scroll down to "View the Original"

click on that, and the relevant page from the GRO Index will appear ......... search on that page to find the name, and see if is spelled correctly or incorrectly on there.


Return to the Entry Information page ........... look for

"If you have a correction to this entry, please click here. Please note that you can view the scan from which this entry was transcribed - see below. Please examine this image to verify that any correction you submit is the same as in the GRO index. The objective of FreeBMD is to provide online access to this index and entries are aligned to the GRO index, not to other sources.

You may add a postem to this entry (see below for explanation)."




If the name is spelled correctly on the GRO Index, then it is the transcription that is wrong ................. so click on correction "click here"



f the name is incorrect on the GRO Index, then you use the postem



Be aware though that NO correction will be made to the GRO Index ................. the correction may be shown as an extra note


The fact that you have submitted a postem will be shown on the entry after the spectacles




Please be aware that some sites have done their own transcriptions ................ findmypast is a sister site of GR, and I believe they did their own, and now GR carries that record.



If the name is correctly spelled on freebmd, then you will have to determine how to either get GR to submit the postem to findmypast, or use one of the free weekend trials on FMP to submit the note to them

Thank you Margee, Shirley and SylvainCanada for your replies I will just have to add a postem although that wont help the problem for other people, shame but that's life.

I wondered about this GRO correction problem fairly recently.

I ordered a birth certificate for a child born in an area, where most of that surname were linked to my family. I was aware that other spellings were recorded in census, but on official documents and church records, the family always used just one spelling.

When the certificate arrived, I was disappointed to find that the child was not my family and although the GRO index recorded the spelling used by our family, the original record showed an alternative spelling and not that shown in the index.


My own sister's birth record has a mistake on the GRO index.

Gwyn

When you consider that much of the GRO index information was copied by hand several times from the original entry, it is not surprising that a lot of mistakes exist in it.

Recently I came across one where Digby had become Rigby in the index. I have added a postem and also added alternate information on the Ancestry version of that entry.